Infectious
by bladewielder05
Summary: Talking is a good way to make friends. Going on great adventures is a great way to make friends. Simply helping a person with a problem is a good way to make friends. Sucking somebody up with your vacuum is definitely not the best way to make friends. And yet, Luigi managed to pull it off. Only Luigi could do it. For Shana Hager's End of Summer Writing Contest.


**So here is my entry for Shana Hager's Contest! I'm doing the prompt of "A guest arrives at the Smash Universe for the sole purpose of observing and evaluating the Smashers". Well...my guest doesn't really evaluate the Smashers. He does try to observe them though...with horrible results. Anyways, yes, I am using one of my OCs here. I actually created him as a Newcomer for Smash before creating his backstory. Hope you guys like him. Enjoy this sucky story!**

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Infectious

He didn't mean any trouble. One moment, Luigi was vacuuming the entrance of the Smash Mansion like he did every morning. The next, he was pulling the struggling figure from his Poltergust 5000. As he pulled on the young man's coat, the green plumber couldn't help but wonder who this stranger was. He also questioned how in the world the young man managed to get stuck in his vacuum in the first place. Luigi made sure to point his powerful machine towards the ground to avoid accidentally sucking up any unfortunate Smashers. The last time he did outside a match, Olimar began to steer clear of him whenever he broke out the Poltergust.

Luigi finally managed to yank the young man out. They both crashed down the steps of the mansion, landing on the dirt ground and steering the minuscule pebbles in a frenzy. Rubbing his head to relieve the aching, Luigi slowly sat up. "Mama mia…" he muttered. The exertion of freeing the stranger wasn't bad compared to some of his adventures, but it was enough to make him wheeze for breath. The young man next to him also gulped for oxygen. Luigi took one look at the stranger besides him before leaping back in surprise. He clutched his Poltergust tightly, ready for any signs of trouble.

"Mama mia…" he muttered again as he stared at the stranger. Luigi had seen many things on his adventures, but the young man in front of him may perhaps have been one of the strangest of all. Sickly, green bangs partly covered his midnight eyes. The stranger's coat shimmered with distorted patterns, causing Luigi to blink multiple times to make sure that the patterns actually changed on its own accord. The coat had a high collar that covered half of the young man's face. However the collar was cut to partly reveal his lower face. The stranger held his head with vein-pulsing claws, murmuring to himself. But the strangest thing of all was the orbs that gathered around the young man, as if to see if he was all right. Fuzzy with a midnight tint that reflected the stranger's eyes, the orbs shuffled closely. Luigi started when he saw the close similarities between those Fuzzballs and the Shadow Bugs under Tabuu. However they didn't seem to be threatening anything…

Luigi wasn't sure what to think. Though the young man was undoubtedly a trespasser on the mansion grounds, the green plumber didn't feel any sense of malice from the stranger nor did he sense the scary terror of the various fans that found ways to bypass the barrier. Yet even though the stranger didn't seem threatening, Luigi couldn't stop shivers tingling down his spine. The mere appearance of the young man was enough to suggest menace. How did this stranger get through anyways? What purpose did he have to be here?

Despite his questions, Luigi wasn't one for ill manners. "Are you all right?" he asked. The young man nodded his head slightly as he slowly stood up. He coughed a few times, expelling some of the Fuzzballs. Luigi flinched at that. It was almost as if the young man carried those things in his body.

"I'm fine, thanks to you," the stranger whispered as he turned to smile gratefully at the green plumber. The small smile calmed Luigi's uneasiness slightly. He muttered shyly to himself as he kicked the dirt before him.

"Ah, it was-a nothing…I'm Weegee, by the way."

"Weegee?" The young man's confusion suddenly cleared, "Oh! You're Luigi!"

The green plumber couldn't stop the surprised look on his face. "You know Weegee?"

The stranger nodded happily, "Of course! You're Mario's brother. You two go on adventures together to save Princess Peach from Bowser's clutches! It would be a shame not to know a great hero such as yourself!"

Hearing the compliments made Luigi blushed. He looked at the ground as he dug his shoe in the dirt timidly. He appreciated how this stranger knew him despite how forgettable he was. Luigi grew used to living in Mario's shadow and not being acknowledged at times. It pleasantly surprised him that he was held so highly in this young man's eyes.

"Aw…Weegee's not _that_ great…"

The young man shook his head, "Yes you ar-." Pain crossed his face as he began to cough. Luigi looked up, worried about this stranger's health. He moved towards the young man, but he turned and waved the plumber away. Luigi frowned as the stranger coughed up more of the Fuzzballs, almost like a cat coughing up a hairball.

"Do you need-a see a doctor?" Luigi asked, the concern obvious in his voice. At the word, the young man looked up fearfully.

"No! Ack-I don't need…to see a doctor!" he hacked. The Fuzzballs shuffled closer to him, as if to protect him from Luigi. The plumber watched, his eyebrows furrowed with worry, until the young man finally stopped coughing. The stranger breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you sure?" Luigi tried again. He knew that his brother might be a bit busy at the moment to look after this new patient. For some strange reason, some Smashers got a strange illness that prevented them from participating in everyday matches. Doctor Mario did his best to cure them, but he simply didn't know what kind of virus infected them in the first place. It didn't seem to be infectious, but it was still a problem considering how many rounds had to be canceled because of the absent fighters.

"I'm sure. Thank you for caring so much," the young man smiled. "…oh, forgive me! I haven't introduced myself. I'm known as Nitrus. It's an honor to make your acquaintance, Luigi."

"Nice to meet you, Nitrus," the plumber held out his right hand. Nitrus looked at the gloved hand uncertainly. After a brief hesitation, Nitrus shook Luigi's hand. "What brings you here-a, Nitrus?" the plumber questioned curiously.

The young man looked away, twiddling two of his claws. "I...just wanted to see the Smash Mansion...and some Smashers…" Luigi nodded thoughtfully. Super Smash was a famous competition that attracted millions' attention. It would make sense that some people wished to see it for themselves. As Nitrus spoke, Luigi couldn't stop staring at the little Fuzzballs around the stranger's boots. They jumped on each other, crawled up Nitrus's coat, and sometimes disappeared without a trace. It was almost as if they were little children playing while their parent discussed some important business.

Nitrus must have noticed Luigi's attention towards the Fuzzballs as he spoke up. "You don't have to worry about these little guys…they won't harm anybody…" he muttered something in the end that suspiciously sounded like "unless I tell them to" to Luigi. On hearing that, the plumber scratched his head.

"Weegee don't know…they look-a like the Shadow Bugs-."

"Oh! I promise they're nothing like the Shadow Bugs!" Nitrus held both claws in helpless reassurance. He looked away, rubbing his arm. "If anything…they're my only friends…everyone else in my world hates me…" Luigi was stunned. Sure, the young man before him seemed a bit strange and everything. But Luigi could tell that he meant well and wished no ill-feelings on anyone. If anything, Nitrus reminded Luigi of himself with his timid and adoring nature. How could anybody hate him?

He had to ask, "Why?"

Nitrus bit his lip, suddenly shutting away from the plumber. He avoided Luigi's eyes, staring instead at his "friends". Although a voice in his head protested, Luigi took one step forward and placed his hand on Nitrus's shoulder. Accidentally right on a few Fuzzballs that snoozed there. At the touch, the young man flinched backwards violently as if Luigi struck him, causing the plumber to rear back as well.

"Don't touch me!" he shouted. His fearful eyes searched Luigi's face for some sign. Luigi only returned a shocked expression. Not finding what he searched for, Nitrus sighed in relief. Noticing Luigi's surprise, the stranger looked away, ashamed. "I'm…sorry…I forgot you wore gloves…my Fuzzballs won't affect clothes, only bare skin…"

"What are you-a talking about?" Luigi asked, confused and worried about Nitrus's behavior. The young man rubbed his arm again. He seemed to be in conflict with himself before speaking up again:

"I'm a living virus. I infect people with my claws and these Fuzzballs," he held up a few, staring at them sadly. He looked at Luigi, the grief clear in his eyes. "I'm really sorry, Luigi! I came here just to observe, but I still ruined things for everyone! I'm the one who made the Smashers sick!" Nitrus finally confessed as he dropped to his knees, sobbing. The plumber was suddenly taken back by the sudden declaration. He didn't suspect this stranger to be the cause of the Smashers' illness at all. Now that he thought about it, when he was helping out with his brother, he thought he saw something that resembled Nitrus's Fuzzballs. Although he felt a small flame of anger at the young man for infecting his fellow Smashers, Luigi could see that Nitrus truly regretted his actions. It made him feel sorry for the virus that simply wanted to observe them. Thinking back to Nitrus's earlier statement, Luigi could see why he was so excited to see the plumber and even more excited when Luigi talked back.

Luigi was probably the first person to accept Nitrus. Although Luigi didn't know how it felt to be hated by everyone, he did know how it felt to be forgotten. The loneliness from both were similar enough. However, Luigi still had his brother and a few others. Nitrus only had the Fuzzballs to call friends.

The plumber kneeled next to the virus and patted his shoulder. Nitrus looked up, his face stained with tears. Luigi offered him a nice smile, "Don't-a worry about it. My brother would fix them right up."

"H-he will?"

Luigi nodded enthusiastically, "Sure! I'm confident in my bro! He can do it!"

"B-b-but…"

"Weegee forgive you for it," Luigi assured. Hearing those words brought more tears to the virus's eyes. He bowed his head as he continued to sob, Luigi patting his shoulder for reassurance. Despite having nobody know what he did for Nitrus, Luigi was still proud he was able to pick somebody right up.

Nitrus finally excused himself. He told Luigi he overstayed his welcome far too long. Before he left, the virus handed Luigi a vial filled with a bright green liquid, "This would help cure the Smashers. I wanted to give it to somebody, but I couldn't without revealing myself…"

"Weegee understands," Luigi smiled as he took the vial. Nitrus shuffled his feet awkwardly. He wanted to thank Luigi for not only talking with him but also listening to him. Yet he had no idea how to do it. The virus looked at the plumber uncertainly. Sensing what the virus had in mind, Luigi simply smiled in understanding. That was enough for Nitrus to know that Luigi appreciated talking with him as well. Nitrus returned the smile. Without another word, he waved goodbye and walked away. Luigi watched as the virus dispersed into a mist of Fuzzballs before disappearing. He continued to stand there until a black angel opened the front door.

"Hey, Doctor Mario needs your help, Luigi," Dark Pit informed. Luigi nodded in confirmation.

"Weegee would be right-a there," he grabbed his Poltergust and skipped up the steps. Dark Pit watched the plumber for a bit before hinting.

"What was with all the shouting?"

Luigi shrugged in response, "Oh…it was just my friend. Don't-a worry about it. He'sa fine."

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 **And there we go! Hope you guys liked it. Good luck to my competitors who read this. You're all probably going to beat this easily ;)**


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